


Trial Run

by bar2d2s



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3923062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bar2d2s/pseuds/bar2d2s
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[imported from Tumblr circa 2012]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trial Run

 "See, the thing is, this is kind of insulting. The Rogues have this thing, about not hurting women and children. So why would they  _willingly_ drag kids into a life of crime? I’m telling you, it’s just to screw-“

” _Wally, language_.“

” _Mess_  with me. Sorry, Uncle Barry.“

It was another Flash family dinner, and the hot topic of conversation was, as usual, ‘work’. Specifically, the recent development that had three of the city’s local ne'er do wells taking on apprentices. 

Prismatik, Prank, and Captain Boomerang Jr had appeared one after another in the span of as many weeks, and seemed perfectly happy to tag along on heists and robberies, as well as cause a little mischief of their own.

Prismatik was clearly the oldest, probably a year older than Wally. He had a thick accent, sounded Scottish, and a mean look about him that had even the older Flashes wary. That kid was going to grow up into something bad, if he wasn’t straightened out soon.

Prank, they actually had a name on. The smallest, and youngest, of the mini-Rogues, Axel Walker was a runaway…who also happened to be a diagnosed psychopath. He had no sense of empathy for others, but the way he looked at his fellow Rogues during a fight made it pretty clear he could at least manage a sense of awe.

Unlike the other two, Captain Boomerang Jr was almost a complete mystery. He didn’t wear a mask, yet no one in the city, or the county, for that matter, seemed to know who he was. He looked about fourteen years old, yet there were no school records on him. He was also amazingly fast; a boomerang thrown by him had actually nicked Wally on the nose during their first encounter. To him, that made Captain Boomerang Jr the most dangerous of all. And yet, of the three, he was the only one that seemed to willingly follow the 'we don’t hurt people just to hurt them’ rule, avoiding throwing his weapons in areas with small children altogether.

The rest of their dinner was fairly uneventful, and it even looked like the city was planning on being quiet enough for the lot of them to sit down together and watch some television. Unfortunately, the first station they turned on was playing the up-to-the-minute evening news.

"Breaking news, Prank, Prismatik, and Captain Boomerang Jr cause havok at the Flash museum!”

Within seconds, the three speedsters were suited up and out the door.

***

“Guys, come on! Captain Cold said noticable havok, not reckless destruction!”

Owen was having a bad day. First, he’d burned off his eyebrows while he and his dad were practicing with their new exploding boomerangs. Then, his mom called. It was official, he couldn’t go home ever again. On the upside, she’d be sneaking off to join them any day now, she just had to get the Tornado Twins off her tail. Any day now she’d show up, and they’d be a  _family_  again. Oh, and then Len had sent the three of them out to distract the Flashes while they robbed the a chain of banks, all at once. Which wouldn’t be so bad, if he wasn’t tentatively in charge.

Axel was like a squirrel on speed when he got riled up, and that kid had an infinite amount of energy. Came with the territory of being twelve. Evan didn’t listen to orders, something that was always getting Sam mad at him. It didn’t hurt that they could barely understand a word he said, most of the time. Owen was convinced that he spat gibberish at them on purpose. Evan didn’t like the costumes and the powers very much, but he did like hurting people, and that scared him.

The Flashes showed up right on time, with Old Flash immediately blowing Prank away from the walls with his wind trail, where he’d been spray painting insults and crude pictures of various superheroes being decapitated. Red Flash took to chasing Prismatik through the glass cases, just trying to catch him. Ha, like that was going to happen. Which left Kid Flash for him.

“Hey.”

It was a simple, casual greeting, said while flipping a boomerang between his fingers. Owen even smiled at his opponent. That set Kid Flash further on edge.

“Uh, right. You know we’re supposed to be fighting?” They looked around, from where Axel was pelting Old Flash with stink bombs, to Red Flash, who had finally managed to haul Evan out of the glass. 

“True, but I’m not here to fight anyone. Just felt like causing a bit of mayhem, no big deal. It’s past closing hours, too, so no one was around to get hurt. Wouldn’t you prefer it this way? A bit of structural damage to this big stupid temple of yours, rather than a bunch of people in the hospital?”

“I’d  _prefer_  that you three would go home to your families before you end up in juvie or worse.” Owen started to laugh. “What?”

“We  _do_  go home to our families. The Rogues are the only family we’ll ever need. They’re our dads, and mom, and uncles, and brothers. They take care of us. They want us around. And for Prismatik and Prank, who come from places that didn’t want them, or didn’t get them? That’s more than enough reason to stay.” There was a buzzing in his ear. Len wanted them to head back to the base. Putting two fingers in his mouth, Owen let out a piercing whistle. Axel immediately headed towards the bit of glass near where Evan was standing, and Owen let fly a disorienting sonic boomerang. Dazed, Red Flash let go of Evan’s arm, and he immediately melted back into the glass behind him, Axel quickly following. With the two fingers he’d used to whistle, Owen gave Kid Flash a mocking salute. “See you next time, Kid Flash!” He yelled, before Evan’s arm reached out through another glass panel and yanked him away.

They laughed together, on the way back to their home. Owen got Axel in a headlock, ruffling his ridiculous not-a-mohawk while the younger boy’s legs kicked out in the air behind him. Even Evan was smiling, humming a wordless little tune. 

“Y'think we did good? I think we did good. Lenny is gonna be so  _proud_ that we’re all coming back after our first time out alone. Y'think he’ll be proud? I think he’ll be proud.” Axel yammered on for a while, and Owen let go of his neck as the base’s mirror entrance came into view. 

Once they got back, they’d give their mission report, and then maybe he and his dad could watch TV together, or play targets. Axel would follow Len around until their leader granted him some of that approval he so desperately seemed to crave. Evan would shut himself in the room he’d claimed for himself and do whatever it was that he did with his mirrors when Sam wasn’t around to take them away. Owen grinned.

It was the perfect end to a terrible day.


End file.
